Tado aims to make your dumb AC unit not so dumb

Tado has taken to Kickstarter with their new Tado Cooling air conditioning controller, a Nest-like device which aims to make your AC unit smarter. Connecting to existing air conditioners, Tado features auto-off, indoor presence detection, single-room control, and more. The device connects to your AC unit through IR, and is controlled through a smartphone app.

The free app for iOS and Android will be the control center for Tado Cooling. You can, of course, set the temperature through the app and use Bluetooth to let Tado know where you are in your home. You can also get reports through the app, including user behavior, temperature, and AC activity. The app also uses geolocation services to tell Tado when you're leaving home or on your way back, letting it turn the AC off or on according to your needs.

Tado plans to ship their AC control unit to all Kickstarter backers by September 2014, and it will be available at retail for $149. You can check it out now on the Tado's Kickstarter page.

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Reader comments

Tado aims to make your dumb AC unit not so dumb

Like Nest, not a bad idea, but if you have a central ac system, turning it off, and cooling the house will cost you more. Same with heating. It is best to leave it on, but change the temperature higher when you leave, and lower it before you come home, or with heat lower, then higher. The main flaw in all these products is wifi. When I leave the house, I turn my router off, and unplug the cable. Just safety I guess. I am not one to leave it on all the time.